Short-term kit
Air Chek Short-Term radon test kit you hang, lab fee included
- Lab fee included
In home: 72 to 168 hours
Locations and reports
Radon Levels in Bristol County, Rhode Island
EPA puts Bristol County in Zone 3, its lowest radon zone, and only 1 radon test from it is on file with CDC (2018). Homes with elevated levels occur in all three zones, so only a test measures yours.
Data checked By Radon411Methodology
Share at 4+ pCi/L
14.0%
9.0 pts below RI
- Bristol
- 14.0%
- RI
- 23.0%
2,268 tests, 2005 to 2014
Median result
1.5pCi/L
Below action level
- Bristol
- 1.5 pCi/L
- EPA
- 4.0 pCi/L
Midpoint of the tests, 2005 to 2014
Tests reported
2,268
5th of 5 by tests
- Bristol
- 2,268
- Providence
- 14,412
Reported to CDC before any fix, 2005 to 2014
EPA radon zone
Zone 3
Lower potential
- 1
- 2
- Zone 3
1 highest, 3 lowest
EPA predicts under 2 pCi/L indoors
Rank in RI
5 of 5
Lowest quarter
- Bristol
- 14.0%
- Washington
- 37.2%
By share, of 5 with 30+ tests
Read a result for Bristol County
Starts at Bristol County's median, 1.5 pCi/L
EPA’s own thresholds; the figures are the area’s, never this home’s.
EPA’s reading of 1.5 pCi/L
Below 2 pCi/L
- Under 20 to 1.9 pCi/L
- 2 to 4consider a fix
- 4 and aboveEPA says fix it
This result is below 2 pCi/L, the level at which EPA says a fix should be considered. Bristol County's median reported result, 2005 to 2014.
The data
Bristol County, At a glance
Bristol County at a glance
Predicted: EPA radon zone
EPA Zone 3: lower predicted potential
USGS geologic potential: Low across 83% of the county's area
Predicted: EPA Map of Radon Zones
Measured: tests reported to CDC
Radon tests reported for Bristol County, 2018
| Year | Share of reported tests at or above 4 pCi/L |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0% |
2018: 0.0%. Across these years the share ran from 0.0% to 0.0%. Each column counts radon tests reported to CDC that year, not homes.
What these figures count
Only 1 test was reported to CDC for Bristol County over 2018, and tests are often run on homes being sold or already suspected of a problem: so few describe neither the county nor this house.
Measured: CDC tracking data. Figure above: 2018. Measured data period: 2005 to 2018 (every CDC figure on file).
Bristol County, Compared
Bristol County radon figures, compared
Calculated by Radon411Bristol County reports fewer high tests than Rhode Island overall. 14.0% of its 2,268 tests over the 2005 to 2014 laboratory totals were at or above 4 pCi/L. That is 9.0 points below the 23.0% pooled from 5 Rhode Island counties.
The newest figure, in 2018, counts only 1 test (0.0% at or above 4 pCi/L), too few to compare, so this reading uses the 2,268-test figure.
Ordered from highest share down, it comes 5th of 5 Rhode Island counties with 30 or more tests for the same period. Nationally, every county with a figure for the same period pools to 36.0%; Bristol County sits 22.0 points below it.
Next door, the shares run from 16.4% in Providence County to 22.8% in Bristol County, MA. Zone 3 on EPA's map (predicted average under 2 pCi/L) and a 14.0% share point the same way here.
Half the tests came in under 1.5 pCi/L and half over it; the single highest reached 238.0 pCi/L. The rest split 60.4% under 2 pCi/L and 25.5% from 2 to 4 (Rhode Island: 52.2% and 24.8%).
The busiest year on file was 2014, with 10 tests reported; the quietest, 2018, had 1.
Pooled shares: Radon411's sum of CDC's county counts for one period.
Bristol County, Geology
The ground under Bristol County
PredictedMost of the ground under Bristol County is one class on USGS's geologic map: 83.3% of its land is low radon potential, with 0.5% moderate. The map puts 63.9% of Bristol County in the area it calls Narragansett Bay Group and 19.4% in Esmond-Dedham Subterrane. USGS gives both a radon index of 8, in the low band (5 to 8).
| Area | The rock, in USGS's words | Potential | Radon index | Share of land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narragansett Bay Group | Sandstone, shale, and conglomerate with minor coal layers. Outwash sand and glacial lake deposits. | Low | 8 | 63.9% |
| Esmond-Dedham Subterrane | Mica schist and granite. | Low | 8 | 19.4% |
Names, descriptions and indexes: U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Radon Potential Map (2025). Shares: Radon411, from the map cut to the boundary.
Bristol County beside the ground around it
Across Rhode Island 43.2% of the land is rated high; none of Bristol County's is. Of the 2 counties that border it, 1 has more high-potential ground, Providence County the most at 18.4%.
The map rates the ground, not the air in any home.
Local help
Bristol County, Local resources
Radon testing and mitigation in Bristol County
- Radon Control ProgramRadon Control Program, run by Rhode Island Department of Health, licenses or certifies radon professionals, and answers questions about testing and mitigation in Rhode Island.Visit the program’s page(opens in a new tab)
- Free and low-cost kitsAsk the program whether it has free or discounted kits, or compare kits you can buy.
- Compare kits
- Professionals in Rhode Island36 professionals are listed in Rhode Island.
What Rhode Island's program says
- Licensing of radon professionals
This page lists Radon Testing businesses that are licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Health.
What it means
Bristol County, Questions
Questions about radon in Bristol County
Are radon levels high in Bristol County?
In 2018, 0.0% of the radon tests reported to CDC for Bristol County, Rhode Island were at or above 4 pCi/L, and the median reported pre-mitigation result was 1.3 pCi/L. Of 5 Rhode Island counties with 30 or more tests for the same period, 4 reported a higher share; pooled, the state comes to 23.0%.
Which counties border Bristol County?
Bristol County borders 2 counties: Bristol County, MA and Providence County, RI.
Products
Bristol County, Products
Testing a home in Bristol County
In Bristol County, 14.0% of 2,268 tests reported to CDC over the 2005 to 2014 laboratory totals reached 4 pCi/L, against 23.0% pooled across Rhode Island. Zone 3 is the lowest label, yet homes at or above 4 pCi/L occur in every zone: a short-term kit (2 to 90 days) is the quick first check in Bristol County.
Test kits and monitors3
See every kit and monitor
Long-term kit
RL116 long-term radon test kit
- Lab fee extra
Method: Alpha track
In home: 90 days to 12 months
Monitor
RadonScan USB-powered radon monitor with a color screen
- C-NRPP 2024/25: Not included
- Plug-in
- Alarm
- Screen
First reading: Within 5 minutes
- See every kit and monitor Test kits and monitors
Test kits and monitors: 1 of 3
Explore
Bristol County, Bordering counties
Counties bordering Bristol County
Calculated by Radon411- Radon levels in Bristol County, MAEPA zone 2
22.8%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.9 pCi/L · 13,212 tests · 8.8 points above Bristol County
- Radon levels in Providence County, RIEPA zone 2
16.4%at or above 4 pCi/L
Median 1.6 pCi/L · 14,412 tests · 2.4 points above Bristol County
Bristol County, Residents
Who lives in Bristol County
About 50,001 people live in Bristol County by the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025, 780 fewer than in 2020 (−1.5%). Packed into its land, that is 2,072 people per square mile. Testing is reported here more often than across the state: CDC's 2,268 reported tests for 2005 to 2014 come to 45.4 for every 1,000 residents (2025 estimate), against 29.1 for Rhode Island.
Census lists no incorporated place in Bristol County: every home in it reads the county's figures.
Residents: U.S. Census Bureau population estimates for July 1, 2025 (Vintage 2025).
Bristol County, Homes
Homes in Bristol County
Of Bristol County's 21,557 homes, 67% are detached houses, against 55% across Rhode Island; 11% are in buildings of five or more homes. Half of its homes were built before 1959, close to Rhode Island's 1961: 52% date from before 1960 and 7% from 2000 or later. 73% of occupied homes are lived in by their owner (Rhode Island: 63%); in the rest a tenant can run a test, but a fix is the landlord's to make.
| Homes | Bristol County | Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | 21,557 | 484,615 |
| Detached houses | 67% | 55% |
| In buildings of 5 or more | 11% | 17% |
| Mobile homes | 0% | 1% |
| Built before 1960 | 52% | 49% |
| Built since 2000 | 7% | 10% |
| Middle year built | 1959 | 1961 |
| Owner-occupied | 73% | 63% |
Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023: estimates from a sample of homes, looser for a small place. Shares by Radon411.